Humphries Poli Architects

A Growing Home

Aurora History Museum

Aurora, CO

In 2006, the Aurora History Museum received the donation of Trolley Trailer No. 610. Originally manufactured in 1913 or 1914, the trolley car had been privately owned since the discontinuation of city trolley service in the 1950s. Humphries Poli Architects was contracted in 2012 to provide a gallery addition to the museum for the purpose of housing this trolley car.

The new 1,600 SF gallery provides a showcase for the trolley car as well as increased identity for the museum within the Aurora Municipal Complex (AMC). The addition also updates mechanical systems within the existing exhibition spaces and offices, provides new receiving space with a loading dock and redefines the entry and circulation sequence for the museum. The new gallery itself provides glimpses of the trolley to the visitor as they move further into the museum, culminating in the exhibit with access around and into the trolley car.

The design features a bent plane roof, sheltering the east end of the existing building. The south wall is fully glazed with a curtainwall system. This curtain wall system was partially selected as a means of displaying the trolley car to the AMC’s central green space, partially due to the ability to remove the wall should the trolley exhibit be relocated in the future.